Marking devices



T. v. HENsoN 2,739,399

MARKING DEVICES 2 Sheets-Sheet l March 27, 1956 Filed Jan. 24, 1952INVENTOR ATTRNEYS March 27, 1956 T. v. HENsoN MARKING DEVICES INVENTOR@my ifo/21W /@ww ATTORNEKS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m ,Wil

LL u 6 Filed Jan. 24, 1952 Unite This invention relates to markingdevices in the nature of tags, labels or the like for articleidentification. More particularly, the invention relates to a markingdevice such as a tag or label bearing identifying information, incombination with an article to be identified such as an article ofapparel.

There are many well known labels or tags useful for the general purposeof identifying articles, however, ordinarily the markers are of suchconstruction and are affixed to the article in such a manner andlocation that the identifying indicia appearing thereon and even themarker itself is usually hidden when the articles are stacked in storageor on display.

lt has now been found that identifying attachments which facilitatearticle identification according to size, co1- or, md quality, renderselection of the desired article by the salesperson or consumer moresimple and speedy and thereby enhance salability of the article andpromote more favorable acceptance of the goods by retailers andconsumers as well.

In the specific case of marking devices for garments such as trousersand skirts, for example, labels or tags indicating size, color, style,etc., are normally attached at the waistband. When garments of this kindare stacked for storage or display the indicia on such conventional tagsoften becomes obscured by overlying garments or folds of material andthe individual garments must be lifted, one by one, for an inspection ofthe labels to ascertain the markings appearing thereon.

Labels for indicating the size, color and style of shirts, blouses andthe like, are usually attached to the garment at the neck band or thetail and it is similarly difficult to read the indicia appearing on theidentification devices of garments of this kind when they are stacked inthe usual fashion.

Another disadvantage of the labels commonly employed in connection withgarments to indicate size, style, color, and quality, is that theremoval of such labels oftentimes damages the garment itself due to themethod of attaching the label to the garment. The stitching which isusually employed often leaves holes or snags in the portion of thegarment to which the label or tag is attached. Such objectionablefeatures are overcome by the teachings of the present invention.

In overcoming these and other objections, the present iuventionincludes, as one of its major features, the concept of providing tagshaving a stub portion which may be fastened to a seam of the article anda tab integral with and extending substantially perpendicular to thestub portion so as to extend beyond an edge or a fold of the article towhich it is attached, in proximity to the securing seam. Another featureof the tag of the present invention is a repetitive arrangement ofidentifying indicia on the portion of the tab extending beyond the edgeof the article. Thus the present invention provides a tag having oneportion attached to a seam of the garment and another portion extendingbeyond a fold which is substantially perpendicular to the seam, thelatter portion bearing idenrates Patent O tifying indicia in repetitivearrangement substantially parallel to said fold.

An important object of this invention is to provide marking devices inthe nature of tags, labels or the like adapted to be affixed toarticles, which devices bear indicia which are exposed and can be readeasily and without separating or touching the garments when the articlesare folded and placed upon a stack or pile.

It is a further object to provide an improved marking device adaptablefor use in marking for identification both bifurcated and othergarments.

It is a further object to provide a combination of a. marking device incombination with a folded garment, wherein the marking device is affixedto the seam of the garment and yet overles a fold in the garment.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention but Without intending tolimit the scope thereto, an embodiment thereof is rshown in theaccompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a side View of a pair of folded trousers provided with amarking device constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side View of the garment illustrated in Fig. l as seen fromline 2 2 thereof, revealing the manner of folding the garment;

Fig. 3 is a side view of a pair of folded trousers provided with amarking device fastened in an alternative fashion to that disclosed inFig. l

Fig. 4 represents a stack of trouser garments provided with a markingattachment fastened in the manner shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is a side view of a ladys skirt in unfolded form but adapted tobe folded along line A-A;

Fig. 6 represents a View of a mans shirt provided with a marking deviceconstituted and fastened in accordance with the teachings of the presentinvention;

Fig. 7 is a view of a shirt garment provided with a marking deviceconstituted in accordance with the present invention and fastened in analternative manner to that disclosed in Fig 6;

Fig. 8 is a view of the rough or seam side of a garment showingstitching passing through the stub of a marking device constituted inaccordance with the present invention;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the seam taken along lines 9-9 of Fig. 8;

Fig. l0 i-s a View of the rough or seam side of a garment having adifferent type of seam from that disclosed in Fig. 8 with stitchingpassing through the stub of a marking device constructed in accordancewith the present invention;

Fig. ll represents a sectional view of the seam taken along lines ll-llof Fig. l0, and

Fig. 12 is a plan view of a tag made in accordance with the teachings ofthe present invention.

ln the form of the present invention illustrated in Fig. l, trousers 20of a construction well known in the art are provided with a doublebursted side seam 21. A marking device or tag 22 comprising an elongatedtab portion 23 bearing indicia repetitively arranged thereon and a stubportion 24textending laterally from the tab portion adjacent one endthereof, is fastened to the garment 2li along seam 2l. The row ofstitching in the seam 21 passes through the stub portion on a line whichis substantially a prolongation of side 2l@ thereby correlating themarking device and the garment so the tab portion extends along the seam2l and beyond the fold line 25. In Fig. 4 a stack of trousers providedwith marking tags fastened in the side seam and folded in the mannershown in Fig. 2, is illustrated to reveal that the indicia borne on thetab portions which extend beyond the edge of the folded article remaindiscernible and clearly visible.

By repetitively arranging identical indicia on the tabs Patented Mar.27, 1956 of the present invention, although some portions of theindicia-bearing surface may be obscured by disaligned folded garments orby adjacent garment tags, at least one section of identification indiciawill remain in view.

As illustrated in Fig. 3 a tag 26 may be fastened to a trouser garment27 along seam 23 with the row of stitching 29 passing through the stubportion 30 of the tag. When fastened in this manner the elongated tabextends along the seam 28 and beyond the fold line 29 of the garment.The embodiment of the invention disclosed in Fig. 3 is similar to thatshown in Figs. 1 and 2 with regard to the correlation between themarking device and the trouser garment, however, it is not intended thatthe invention should be limited to the particular garment disclosed inthe embodiments of the invention disclosed in -t-hese figures.

A side seam commonly employed in trouser construction is shown more indetail in Fig. 8, with rows of Whip stitching 31, 32 to prevent frayingof the fabric edges. Stitching 33 serves to join the trouser or othergarment pieces 34, 35, and also fastens the stub portion 36 of tab 37 tothe fabric material. When fastened in the manner shown the stub portion36 projects through the material so as to be accessible for removal fromthe reverse or seam side of the fabric.

In accordance with the present invention a garment such as the shirtdisclosed in Fig. 6 may have a marking device 40 fastened thereto andproperly located thereon along the vertical front seam 39. The markingdevice 40 includes a laterally extending stub portion 41 through whichpasses the row of stitching 39, and a tab portion 38 on which theidentifying indicia are properly arranged in repetitive fashion.

Another method of attaching a marking device constituted in accordancewith the present invention is shown in Fig. 7, wherein an elongated tab42 is shown fastened to the body of a shirt 43 through the agency ofpocket stitching 44 lpassing through the stub portion 45.

The method of attaching the tag of the present invention to a garmentmay be varied from that disclosed in Figs. 1 and 7 in accordance withthe requirements to be met. In Fig. 6, for example, the stub portion ofthe tag is inserted between folds of fabric which are then sewn by rowsof stitching 39, 46. The stub portion is permanently retained in thebody of the shirt material whereas in Fig. 7 the stub portion 45 extendsinto and is accessible from inside the pocket of the shirt. As shown indetail in Fig. l this invention contemplates that the stub portion of atag may be permanently secured and retained between layers of fabricstitched together. Referring to Fig. 1l, rows of stitching 47, 4S jointhe pieces of fabric 49, 50, the row of stitching 48 alone serving toretain the tab 51 fastened to the garment fabric.

After sale of the article the tag constituted in accordance with thepresent invention and fastened in the man ner disclosed may be tornalong the perforation caused by the stitching, thereby separating thetab portion from the stub portion stitched in the seam of the garment.In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 7 after the tabhas been removed the stub portion is accessible from the reverse side ofthe fabric and may be plucked therefrom. However, in the embodiment ofthe invention shown in Figs. 6 and 10 the stub portion is not accessibleand is permanently retained in the body of the material. No seriousdisadvantage is presented from permanent retention of the stub portionin the body of the garment material inasmuch as it is contemplated thatthe marking device will be constructed from paper or similar materialwhich during washing will ultimately disintegrate.

Stacking the folded shirts with the tags attached shown singly in Figs.6 and 7, as is specically illustrated in 4 l Fig. 4 with regard totrouser garments, provides a pile having an outward appearance similarto the stack shown in Fig. 4. The repetitive arrangement of identifyingindicia on the tabs which extend beyond the fold lines of each shirt,facilitates selection of individual garments according to size, color,type or quality, according to the character of the indicia provided onthe tabs.

ln addition to the repetitive arrangement of the indicia, further meansof identification of the garments may be employed, for example, byutilizing tags of diiferent colors, sizes and shapes. The tags,therefore, may be made of paper, cloth, plastic or other suitablematerials.

In Fig. 12 a tag 60 constructed in accordance with the present inventionincludes a tab 61 having a laterally extending stub 62 for fastening ina seam of the article. Tab 61, elongated in the direction of its length,is pro vided with sections 63 of identical identifying indicia both onthe portion 64 connecting the tab and the stub and also on the Abodyportion 65 of the tab. Normally the row of article seam stitchingfastening the tag to the article passes through the stub along line B-Bwhich is substantially a prolongation of side 66 of the tab body portion65. When secured in this fashion the row of perforations from thestitching needle provide a weakened line and the tab portion may beeasily torn from the stub. Tearing is also facilitated by the provisionof a weakened line which intersects the sides 66, 67 of the tab and thestub, respectively, at the point of joinder.

Side 68 of the tab body portion 64, in the embodiment of this inventionshown in Fig. 12, is parallel to line B-B and the ends 69, 70, of thetag are cut olf square providing a substantially rectangular tab andconnecting portion.

Stub 62, as shown, juts from the tab at right angles and also is cut offsquare at end 71. However, obvious changes in the layout of the tagblank, such as arranging the stub to project from the tab at an angleother than may be performed.

Further modifications of the embodiments illustrated herein may beeffected without departing from the spirit of the invention, it beingintended that the patent shall cover by suitable expressions in theappended claim, all of the features of patentable novelty shown and/orde scribed herein.

I claim:

In combination with a garment adapted to be displayed in stackedrelation to like garments, said garment havingV a stitched seam andadapted to be folded along a line substantially perpendicular to saidseam, an L-shapcd destructible identification tag comprising asubstantially rectangular stub portion and a substantially rectangulartab portion integral with and extending laterallyv from said stubportion and bearing marking indicia, said tag being secured to saidgarment by means of a portion' of the stitching of said seam at thejuncture of said stub portion and said tab portion to provide aweakened, perforated line at said juncture and so located that at leastpart of said tab portion extends outwardly beyond the' fold of thegarment whereby the tab portion may be readily observed when displayedin stacked relation to like garments and may be easily separated fromsaid stub portion after sale by tearing along said perforated line.

References CitedV inthe tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,907,393 Tooley May 2, 1933 1,927,584 Faller Sept. 19, 1933 2,110,122Burgett Mar. 8, 1,938 2,490,496 Williamson Dec. 6, 1949

